Training Log Archive: BorisGr

Elliptical. It's beautiful outside. I want to go run.

Event: QOC Fountainhead
 

I joined Barnacle, Alli, and her visiting friend Maik for an Orange course in the rain and mud at Fountainhead. It was really fun, including the long map hike to the start. Back hurt a fair bit, so I was happy to not be racing.

Elliptical.

Elliptical intervals in the morning. I tried to mimic today's Crawlers workout and did 4x90" + 1x6' + 4x90".

Elliptical

Event: QOC Combat Village
 

I was the course setter for QOC's local event at Combat Village together with Chris Gross, and Alli was the meet director.

This event was originally scheduled for January 24th, but was postponed due to some logistical difficulties and to the 2+ feet of snow that fell that weekend.

The biggest complication for me in course setting this event was that it took place on Marine Corps territory, meaning that we could only gain access to it on particular Sundays, and usually with the presence of a range safety officer. It is possible to take an exam to become a qualified range safety officer, but it would require a full day spent at Quantico during the week, and I never got around to doing it. Luckily, John Baker was a superstar and was willing to act as the safety officer each time we went out to scout and hang flags.

As a result of this limitation, I spent less time in the terrain than I normally would for an event I was setting courses for.

Still, I think in general the meet was successful (about 200 starts and 250 total people!) and the courses were well-received. It helped that the terrain is just beautiful in places and also technically difficult, with very subtle contours, which is abnormal for QOC-land.

Things that went well:
1) The terrain is great. Some of the best here in QOC-land. The fact that it's off-limits to the public means that it's much wilder than other areas. Really cool.

2) Alli and I had an amazing team of helpers. From John Baker, who did everything imaginable, to Valerie, Amy, Greg L, Ian, Misha, Kevin, Hannah, Jon C, Jon T, Tori, Vido, Petya, Charles C, Daniel H, Amber, the volunteers were amazing and made our job way easier. What a pleasure to work with QOC's finest!

3) The beginner and orange courses were good. I think we got the right levels of difficulty, and the DNF rates reflect that.

4) All the controls were in the right place, even if a couple of the features were on the vague side (see further in this post). We had, as far as I could tell, enough water.

5) A lot of people seem to have had a good time. In the end, that's what matters, and I think that was mostly successful.

The biggest problems were as follows:
1) The map is old. Jon Torrance made some corrections, but the vegetation mapping really needs a complete overhaul.

2) The map printing turned out very strange. The green color was printed very dark, obscuring contours in the areas where they were most important. It's strange, because I had no problems when printing maps at Kinko's for terrain scouting. I feel bad about this. I am sure it contributed to some DNF's on the advanced courses.

3) Control 104. It was in a "re-entrant" that was extremely vague and much less prominent than shown on the map. On Friday, Ian hanged it. I made sure to go visit it and check that it made sense. Ian attacked from the south when hanging, and I attacked from the north (the tank trail bend) when vetting. I came to the exact spot that Ian hanged it. That convinced me to keep it.

I should have moved it, perhaps even putting it on the ridiculously large rootstock that Valerie added to the map for me the night before the event, for the sole purpose of making that control a bit fairer.

I apologize to those who were affected by it! It didn't help that it was the first control for a couple of courses, probably discouraging a few people...

I will be happy to set courses for QOC again, but it will be nice to use a map that I can get onto whenever I want to.

C • And... 1

Watching Tiomila all day. Not a good night for the Linne boys for the second year in a row. :( Revenge at Jukola?

C • Do you know 4

Hanging flags at Combat Village. The rain stopped just as we got there, and the afternoon was absolutely delightful. I really enjoyed being out in the woods, walking and jogging, and finding the streamers Chris had put out back in December, before this meet got moved from January to May. The streamers were all there. The map is certainly old, but I didn't have any problems using the contours and compass to find the locations. Back and hip were sore, so I was happy that Ian and John Baker joined Chris and me to make our job a lot easier. We managed to put out all the controls and water in about three hours.

Elliptical intervals 1'-2'-3'-4'-4'-3'-2'-1'

Event: Billygoat 2016
 

I ran the Billygoat!

I think it was my 12th.

The last couple of weeks my back has been feeling a bit looser. I don't know what to make of it - within a month it went from pretty good and improving, to so bad I could barely leave my bed for two days, to good enough that I got through a middle distance race at West Point. I have gotten a ton of encouragement and a ton of advice from my friends from all around the orienteering community. I am really thankful to everyone. We really have a great community in U.S. orienteering, and I love being a part of it.

So I am back in wait-and-see mode.

In the meantime, it was time for the Billygoat. I didn't sign up, but I told Alex before West Point that there was a 1% chance that I'd show up at the start line because, after all, it's the Billygoat - the best, most tradition-heavy race in U.S. orienteering, and the closest thing we have to Tiomila and Jukola in terms of history and epicness.

So I got a flight, spent the night hanging out with Ian and new friend Will E, and got to the Goat. At the start line, I had very modest expectations - try to finish and, if possible, get more points than DarthBalter and Joe, and not too many fewer than Wyatt.

The race was a blast! The terrain was great and varied, the course was fun and mercifully short, and the head-to-headness that makes this the Billygoat did not disappoint.

From the start I took off almost first, soon to be passed by the speedy Isak, Will E, Ian, and a few others. I took the trail all the way around, losing a bit of time, but ending up with Wyatt, Carl, and WillH, a bit behind Ian and Peter Z, ar #1.

On the way to #2 I discussed some skips with Will and said that 2 is too early for me, even if it looks like the best skip. Will agreed it was the best skip and skipped it. I figured I wouldn't see him again.

I was a bit too high going into 2 and got there with a big pack, including Wyatt, Peter Z, Carl U, Olaf, Andis , Zach, Balter, Ari, and Ted Good. Ian was ahead.

The way to 3 basically consisted of a string of people, so we made up a bit of ground on Ian and all bunched up together.

For the next few controls I was basically hanging out at the tail end of the big pack. I was feeling weak physically, but to my delight, my back was doing fine.

During these legs 4-9 we also passed a bunch of the people who skipped #2, including Evalin, Adrian, Joe, and Kestrel.

I had made up my mind that I would skip #10 as long as someone else from the pack chose to do the same. When we got to #9, Wyatt was first in the pack, and he headed for #10. Peter Z was next. He took a few steps towards 10, hesitated, and turned towards 11. Ian went for 11 without any hesitation, and my mind was made up. From our group, only Wyatt chose not to skip 10.

I went a bit high to 11 and lost a few seconds, but the group of eight was pretty much all together here: Ian, Carl, me, Andis, Balter, Olaf, Zach, and Peter Z, occupying places 4-11, with Isak and two Wills in front.

As we headed up towards 12 I was surprised to see Will H up ahead. He missed 12 and was suddenly with Ian at the front of our pack.

Will H went high to 13. I stayed low, losing sight of Ian in the distance. Got the control cleanly and could see Ian leaving it, but not sight of Will.

Andis, Carl, and Peter Z caught up to me through 14-15, and Ian was still in front.

#16 was my favorite leg on the course - downhill through beautiful, but technical white woods. I executed well, punching in 3rd, apparently just a minute down on Will E for 2nd place at that point.

The next control I pulled a little to the left, and the pack caught me as I corrected. Will H came through us here too, running quite a bit faster. He lost time in the circle, though, and everyone was together again, except Balter and Zach seem to have fallen off the back of the pack here.

On the way across the streams to 18 I started feeling my back tightening up. From this point the race would be a death march to the finish for me, hoping not to cramp up and just focusing on the orienteering.

I immediately missed 18, and Will H and Andis opened up a gap that we would not be able to make up.

On the trail towards 19 we saw Will E heading the other way. He looked strong.

I got 19 behind Olaf and Ian, and with Carl. Peter Z was by himself, behind the Will-Andis group, and ahead of our group.

20 was a struggle for me, as my back rebelled on every small uphill, but luckily my companions were also clearly at the limit of their strength, and so we (Ian, Olaf, and I) slogged along, drifting somewhat right of the line in the final attack through the vague green area. We probably lost a little over a minute on the approach. In the beginning of the leg, I saw Wyatt heading to 18. I was sure he would skip 19, and figured I had a little more than a 2 minute gap down to him at this point.

Having gotten past 20, it seemed like finishing the Billygoat was actually possible despite all the back trouble and the lack of training.

21 went ok, and we saw a confused Peter Z, still looking for 20, along the way.

On the way out to the trail for 22, Ian took a more direct line, Carl and Olaf went too far north, and I split the difference. I hit the trail well behind Ian, but with a good gap down to Carl and Olaf.

I was awfully slow on the trail run back through 23-24 and the finish. Carl passed me easily, but Olaf was as wiped as I was and did not manage to catch up. Wyatt crossed the finished line just 40 seconds after me - another 500m of course length, and he would definitely have gotten me.

I ended up 7th, a placing I am thrilled with, given today's circumstances.

Isak was a deserving winner, and Will E got an excellent 2nd place after running most of the race on his own.

I had a great time and was so glad I made the trip up. Alex and Ed did an excellent job organizing (and providing pizza for everyone!!), Izzy provided clutch help by carrying clothes back from the start, and seeing orienteering friends and soaking in the Billygoat atmosphere was wonderful.

Thanks to everyone involved!!

C • Fantastic 16

Billygoat - Splits

Alli and left work early enough to make it to the Campbells' place in time to run the Captain's Promotion sprint in honor of Captain Hannah. This was our first time running on Jon & Tori's neighborhood sprint map. It's pretty great, and definitely worthy of a legit sprint!

I took it easy and ran around with Alli to see if my body can handle any sort of running. It was really fun to splash through the puddles and find controls. My back tightened up towards the end, but felt better the following morning after icing and stretching.

The rest of the evening was great, complete with pizza and a viewing of Despicable Me.

C • Clearly... 1

Recumbent bike at the gym at work after getting back from Columbus.

More elliptical at the gym in Columbus, with intervals this time.